


To Heal a Broken Heart

by nchorsemama



Category: The Walking Dead
Genre: Angst, Death, Healing, Hope, Love, Other, Sorrow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22154728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nchorsemama/pseuds/nchorsemama
Summary: I wrote this very short story for a challenge. The story couldn't go over 1000 words. It was indeed a challenge for me. I can't seem to write a short story to save my life. lol To me if feels unfinished, like it needed more but alas... I tried. Hope you enjoy it.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon & Daryl Dixon's Dog, connie - Relationship
Kudos: 1





	To Heal a Broken Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this very short story for a challenge. The story couldn't go over 1000 words. It was indeed a challenge for me. I can't seem to write a short story to save my life. lol To me if feels unfinished, like it needed more but alas... I tried. Hope you enjoy it.

To Heal a Broken Heart

Daryl was heartbroken.

It had been six months since Daryl lost Dog to a herd of walkers sent by Alpha. The pain had not diminished at all. He’d reverted back to the way he was after he lost Rick. Even his best friend Carol couldn’t seem to snap him out of it. He wanted revenge, for Dog. That bitch needed to die. The community pact was to stay away from Alpha’s borders. They wanted peace not war. Daryl knew the size of the horde that Alpha had at her disposal. She had shown him. He was just biding his time until they migrated for winter. Then he would follow and kill her once and for all.

Connie had been with Daryl the day he lost Dog. In his despair he had lashed out at her, distancing himself away from her, and everyone else. He was inconsolable, and even after six months, nothing had changed. He spent more time out of the communities than he did inside.

Daryl left the Hilltop in the dead of night. He didn’t want to be peppered with their rapid fire questions on where he was going and when he’d be back. He just wanted to be left alone. He never spent more than a day at a time in the two communities. But Daryl had moved back to his old camp where he and Dog lived after Rick’s death. He preferred being alone. He spent many a night wondering if he should just join Rick and Dog and give himself to the walkers. He often found himself talking to them like they were still here. He didn’t want to be close to anyone anymore. It just hurt too much. He crawled into his makeshift lean to for another sleepless night praying Dogs’ cries wouldn’t haunt him as he was torn apart by Alpha’s walkers. 

*****************

Daryl woke with start and a racing heart with his hands over his ears willing himself awake so the cries would stop. He leaned out over the water and splashed his face. Only the cries didn’t stop right away. He grabbed his bow and took off in the direction the dogs cries were coming from, slowing only when they stopped completely, to listen. He carefully picked his way thru the trees of the forest following the sounds. He found five walkers feasting on their kill. He made quick work of dispatching them, and that’s when he saw the fur…. He dropped to his knees and let out a keening cry.  
“Noooo!”  
It was like seeing Dog all over again. He covered his face with his hands, and cried, regretting killing the walkers. He should have just let them take him out and end his miserable existence. He stood up, used his shirt to dry his eyes, and was stone faced once more to begin the task of burying the mother wolf and her two pups. It was something he didn’t get the chance to do with Dog. By the time he got back to him, there was nothing left to bury. His blood boiled just thinking about it. He wanted revenge…he wanted Alpha’s head, and hated having to wait until they migrated to get it. But he couldn’t risk doing it now and having Alpha unleash that horde onto Alexandria and the Hilltop.  
He picked up his bow and turned to head back to camp. He hadn’t taken 15 steps when he heard a pup howling. He swung around in time to see the small black pups head emerge from between two fallen trees, nose in the air and his puppy heartbreaking howl, calling out for his mother. Daryl knew he couldn’t be but 10-12 weeks old. He walked back slowly.  
“Easy there…..I’m sorry about yer Mom and brother and sister.”  
The pup growled at him causing him to stop.  
“Oh, so yer a tuff guy huh?”  
As the pup ducked back down between the logs, Daryl reached in only to be bitten by razor sharp puppy teeth, before he was able to grab him by the scruff and pull him out and dropped him at his feet as he wrapped his rag around his hand.  
“You got a decision to make…come with me or stay on your own.” With that said he turned and slowly headed back to his camp. He got a rabbit and a squirrel on the way back. He never looked back to see if Wolf was following him cause he wasn’t getting attached to him. He told himself. He caught a glimpse of him when they reached camp. He was hiding behind some rocks at the rivers edge.  
He skinned the rabbit and the squirrel. He looked over at Wolf to see him peeking over the rock. It made him smile. When the rabbit was done, he threw the squirrel toward the rocks. As they ate Daryl told Wolf all about Dog and Rick.

*****************  
Over the next 3 weeks a very strong bond formed between Daryl and Wolf. They slept, ate, and hunted together. Daryl’s heart was healing without him even realizing.

****************

The following week they got a surprise visitor.

Daryl stood up shocked to see Connie standing on the edge of their camp.  
Wolf growled a warning.  
“It’s okay, she’s a friend.” Daryl told Wolf as he walked to Connie, heart beating out of his chest.  
“I’m sorry.” He signed. Connie just hugged him. They talked as they shared a meal. It was dark by the time they finished.  
“We’ll walk you home, I don’t want you out there alone in the dark.” Daryl wrote to her on her pad.  
Connie shook her head no and wrote in her pad.  
“I think I want to stay until Wolf likes me better.” She showed him with a huge smile on her face.  
Daryl barked out a rusty laugh taking her hand. He was healing, he was happy for the first time in 7 months.


End file.
